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Sodios:
"Calamity Jen" By: Josh Adachi Hello, and welcome to the second edition of Sodios, a column about the wackiest thing I've seen on TV this past week. Recently, I was hired to write some web content for an IT company, and while doing some research, came across the British sitcom, The IT Crowd about the going-ons of one IT department and the modestly hot boss that was hired to manage them.
The
show takes place in the basement of a large corporation where a pair of
IT techs, Roy and Moss do almost nothing all day. This is not
to say that
they aren't good at what they do, but besides tech-supporting mundane
computer
issues ("is it plugged in?") and the occasional corporation-wide
upgrade, little is required of them, and besides, nobody knows enough
about what
they do to adequately supervise them. The basement
itself is a rare treat. It's greasy, cluttered with computer
parts, and has accumulated ages of manchild bric-a-brac. It's
probably the messiest set I've ever seen for a TV show, yet
it's
somehow cozy and appealing- a haven for smart, undersexed outcasts.
It's kinda like Rob Whang's room on roids.
The writing on the show is surprisingly good, and "Calamity Jen," the second episode in the series is a good example of what makes this show tick. Some of the humor is a bit dry and British (like a reccurring joke about confusing golf with fire), but the humor also breaches the opposite end of the hilarity spectrum, with wild physical gags and over-the-top scenarios. The episodes tend to begin at a stasis, with little oddities skiffling about the edges. By the end of the episode, however, these oddities are piled so deliriously thick and high that you'll wonder just how you got there. Maybe I just described the basic sitcom format. Oh well then, The IT Crowd is a sitcom that does the sitcom dance so well, it seems fresh and inventive. Calamity Jen weaves three seemingly unrelated scenarios together. And I just realized this article is going to be a bit of a let-down because I'm not going to go around telling TV Jokes in written form. Instead, how about I just show you some stills and you can ask yourself why you are not watching this show.
Anyways, however you can get your hands on it, I highly recommend this show. It's a funny, appealing take on the nerd lifestyle. It's appealing because when you are this nerdy, there is nothing between you and your personal style and interests (except sometimes the whole world). One of the complaints I sorta have about this show is the laugh track. According to Wikipedia, this show was filmed before a live studio audience so the studio laughter should make sense, but many of the funny moments rely on reveals made through angles and camera movement. When a studio audience is laughing along with something you're pretty sure they can't see (or could see before you could) it feels surreal in a stupid way. But, I guess Britain is still behind the States in certain insignificant details. Well, I'll see you next time, after I learn why it makes no sense to try to recap an episode of a sitcom without spoiling the jokes.
clips of this episode and available here. |
